ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 370,076 Shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $PANW

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC increased its Palo Alto Networks stake by 42.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 370,076 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,236,644 shares valued at about $227.8 million.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on PANW, with several firms raising or reaffirming buy ratings and price targets, including Rosenblatt lifting its target to $275. The stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $217.59.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director John P. Key sold shares in April, while CEO Nikesh Arora bought 68,085 shares in March in a nearly $10 million purchase, signaling continued executive confidence.

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW - Free Report) by 42.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,236,644 shares of the network technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 370,076 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.18% of Palo Alto Networks worth $227,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PANW. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 143 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 196.2% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 154 shares of the network technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC purchased a new stake in Palo Alto Networks during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PANW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $230.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $240.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Palo Alto Networks in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $225.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Palo Alto Networks presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $217.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John P. Key sold 1,572 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.32, for a total value of $272,459.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,466,400. This trade represents a 7.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikesh Arora purchased 68,085 shares of Palo Alto Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $146.87 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,643.95. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 343,394 shares in the company, valued at $50,434,276.78. This trade represents a 24.73% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,356 shares of company stock valued at $4,981,575. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Palo Alto Networks

Here are the key news stories impacting Palo Alto Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities raised its price target on Palo Alto Networks from $225 to $275 and kept a buy rating, signaling stronger confidence in the company’s outlook. Rosenblatt Securities Issues Positive Forecast for Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho increased its price target from $200 to $265 and maintained an outperform rating, adding to the bullish view from analysts on PANW’s earnings and growth prospects. Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW Price Target Raised to $265.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer highlighted Palo Alto Networks as “having the last laugh,” reinforcing investor optimism around the stock’s resilience and market leadership. Jim Cramer Shares Why Palo Alto (PANW) Is Having The Last Laugh
• Neutral Sentiment: One market recap noted PANW advanced while the broader market declined, but the report was mainly descriptive and did not add new fundamental information. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison piece said CrowdStrike currently has an edge over Palo Alto Networks on growth momentum and ARR trends, but this was more of an industry comparison than a direct negative catalyst. CRWD vs. PANW: Which Cybersecurity Stock Has an Edge Right Now?

Palo Alto Networks Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of PANW opened at $247.55 on Tuesday. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $139.57 and a twelve month high of $248.85. The company has a market cap of $202.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 136.77, a P/E/G ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.77. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $176.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.18.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The network technology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Palo Alto Networks, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks NASDAQ: PANW is a cybersecurity company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The firm develops a broad suite of security products and services designed to prevent successful cyberattacks and protect enterprise networks, clouds, and endpoints. Built around a platform strategy, its offerings target threat prevention, detection, response and governance across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The company's product portfolio includes next‑generation firewalls as a core on‑premises capability, alongside cloud‑delivered security services and software for securing public and private clouds.

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